Mobile communication devices such as smart phones typically support location determining, particularly via Global Positioning System (“GPS”) hardware incorporated therein. Applications executed on mobile communication devices facilitate the sharing of location information with other users. Thanks to GPS and other location technologies enabling ubiquitous location, users can now enjoy always-on location information from wherever they go and share this information with family and friends.
Despite the benefits of location sharing, such sharing can expose details of a device user's life which a user may desire to remain private, for example places visited and the amount of time a user resides in a particular place. Maintaining the security of this location information is important for the privacy and safety of the mobile communication device user. One known manner of maintaining the security of location information on a mobile communication device is to disable location sharing features or to render location sharing unavailable to particular contacts. This inflexible approach to protecting location privacy may not be suitable for many device users.